Slack take-up device for flexible cable of wilton or axminster looms



Aug. 13, 1929. w. w. ROBERTSON 1,734,315

SLACK TAKE-UP DEVICE FOR FLEXIBLE CABLE OF wxmou on AXMINSTER Looms Filed July 14, 1925 [We/750x M Herzsm lib/1e w/ go arg Patented Aug. 13, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM W. ROBERTSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMIPTON 8c KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, 0F WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SLACK TAKE-U1? DEVICE FOR FLEXIBLE CABLE OF WILTON OR AXMINS'IER LOOMS.

Application filed July 14, 1925. Serial No. 43,604.

This invention relates to carpet looms and is adaptable to the needle motion of Axminster looms and also the wire motion of VVilton looms.

On the usual Axminster looms the needle is comparatively heavy and is moved back and forth by means of a rope or flexible cable which is found to lengthen with continued use. The cable is wound around a drum by means of which. it is reciprocated and any slackness therein results in uncertain positioning of the needle. With side wire Wilton looms the wire over which the pile yarn is woven is introduced into the shed by a similar cable also subject to stretching.

It is accordingly an important object of my invention to take up any slack which may occur in a cable associated with either of the types of motions mentioned.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for automatically taking up any slack which may occur in the cable and holding said means against retrograde movement in such a way as topermit slackening of the cable if such a procedure is desirable for any reason, such as atmospheric changes.

In Axminster looms for Weaving rela tively wide fabrics, the cable which operates the needle extends around a pair of pulleys and the cable is divided into two sec tions, each of which is driven by an actuated drum.

WVhen the drum oscillates in one direction, the needle will be inserted by one of the sections of the cable, and when the drum oscillates in the other direction, the needle will be withdrawn by the other section of the cable.

When wide Axminster looms are run at a relatively high rate of speed it is necessary to impose a check upon the motion of the needle as the latter nears the end of its in serting movement into the shed. It is an important object of my present invention to employ that portion of the cable which effects the withdrawal of the needle to check the latter on itsinward stroke.

Under continued use the cable section which withdraws the needle is found to stretch, and it is a further object of my present invention to provide means to compensate for the stretching of the cable so that the checking effect will be the same irrespective of the increasing length of the cable section. In this way are provided means which automatically places the needle properly with respect to the selvage shuttle.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein I have chosen to illustrate my invention as applied to the needle motion of an Axminster loom,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of the outer end of the needle supporting structure showing my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device as shown in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of arrow 2,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1,

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic elevation on a reduced scale of a needle motion for an Axminster loom employing my present invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the needle rail 10 is supported in any manner such as by means of an upright 11 secured to the floor or to the loom and has secured thereto a guide 12 which receives the foot 13 of a block 14 to which issecured cable 15. Said cable, which may be made of rope or any other suitable flexible mate rial, is endless and is trained around an actuating drum receiving motion in any approved manner to reciprocate needle 16 which moves with the block 14. The right hand end of the cable is led from the block 14 around pulley 17 to the aforesaid drum. The matter thus far described is of the usual construction with the exception that pulley 17 is usually mounted on a fixed pivot.

My invention relates more particularly to the provision of a movable support for said pulley to the end that the same may be moved toward or from the needle in order to compensate for stretching and thus accurately position the needle as the latter nears the end of its inserting stroke in the shed of the loom. Accordingly, I bolt a stand 30 to the needle rail 10 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and provide the same with an upstanding horn 31 to the upper end of :36, cooperates with a weighted pawl 39 pivotally mounted on the stand as at 40.

By referring to Fig. t the general arrangement of the needle motion will be understood. As shown therein the cable 15 has two sections, one of which is indicated at and extends around a movable pulley 17. The other portion of the cable 15, indicated at 51, extends around a fixed sheave 52 which is usual construction in wide A);- minster looms.

The sections 50 and 52 are connected to a block 14 and are actuated by a drum 53, which may be reciprocated in any approved manner. Said drumoscillates in one direction when the needle is being inserted to tion 50 under tension.

' will assume some such a position as thatcreate tension in section51 and a consequent slackness insection 50, and said drum oscillates in the opposite direction when the needle is being withdrawn to place the sec- Under the latter condition the pawl 39 prevents retrogrz de movement of the lever which supports the pulley 17.

Under normal conditions the pulley 17 shown in full lines in Fig. 1, the slackness of the cable 15. being taken up through the pulley by means of the weights W. As the cable stretches the weights will descend and the pulley will move to the right, assuming a position similar to that shown in dotted lines in F ig. 1. The pawl 39 will cooperate with the segment ratchet 38 to retain the pulley 17 in its successive positions, the

r weights operating merely to move the pulley to a new position while the pawl operates to hold it in such position. If itis desired to slackenthe pulley for any reason the pawl 39: can be released and the pulley moved to 2 the left.

In this waystretching of the cable is compensated for sothat the section 50 will be effective to bring the needle at rest at substantially the same position irrespective of the increasing length of said section 50.

While I have described the device in connection with the rope of an Axminster needlemotiom'yet it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to such a motion but is applicable to any motion where a flexible cable is employed to move elongated weaving elements, such as pile wires, into the shed of a loom.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple device auto-- matic in its operation and eil'ective to take up any slack in the actuating cable of the needle as the slack occurs without requiring attention from the weaver and that the pulley is held in its successive positions by the pawl, the latter acting to prevent retrograde movement of the pulley under inl'luonce of the cable 15.

It will also be seen that by reason of the position of the pulley 17 the needle will be accurately placed irrespective of the increasing length of section 50 oi? the cable, said section 50 being thus able to exert a check on the needle tor ail lengths oi said section.

Having thus described my invention it will. be apparent that changes and modilicalions may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I. do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a needle mot on for an Arminster loom, having a drum oscillatable in opposite directions, a cable actuated by the drum ix) be moved first in one direction, to insert the needle and then in the other direction, to withdraw the needle, by the drum as the latter oscillates, a needle operatively connected to the cable, and self-acting means in engagement with the witlulrawing portion of the cable to compensate for any increase in length in said withdrawing portion out the cable, so that as the needle is given an inserting movement by the inserting portion of the cable, the witlnlrawing portion will act to check the needle in substantially the same amount irrespective of the increasing length of the withdrawing portion of the cable.

2. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, having a drum to be oscillated first in one direction and then in the other, a cable actuated by the drum and having one portion which is given a withdrawing movement when the drum moves in one direction and having another portion which is given an inserting movement when the drum moves in the opposite direction, a needle operatively connected to both sections of the cable, and means to keep the withdrawing portion of the cable taut, the withdrawing portion of the cable acting as a check to restrain the inserting movement of the needle and said means cooperating with the withdrawing portion of the cable to cause the latter to impose a constant check on the needle irrcspective of the increasing length of said withdrawing portion of the cable.

3. In a needle motion for an Axminster loom, having a drum to be oscillated first in one direction and then in the other, a cable actuated by the drum and having one portion which is given a withdrawing movement Ell when the drum moves in one direction and. having another portion which is given an inserting movement when the drum moves in the opposite direction, a needle operatively connected to both sections of the cable, a movable pulley around which the withdrai ing portion of the cable extends, and means to move said pulley away from the needle as the withdrawing portion of the cable in creases in length, said withdrawing portion of the cable acting as a check on the inserting movement of the needle, and said means and movable pulley being effective to cause the withdrawing portion of the cable to exert a constant checking forceon the needle as the withdrawing portion of the cable increases in length.

4;. In a needle motion for an AXn'iinst-er loom, having a drum to be oscillated first in one direction and then in the other, a cable actuated by the drum and having one portion which is given a withdrawing movement when the drum moves in one direction and having another portion which is given an inserting movement when the drum moves in the opposite direction, a needle operatively connected to both sections of the cable, a movable pulley around which the withdrawing portion of the cable extends, and means to move said pulley away from the needle as the withdrawing portion of the cable increases in length, said withdrawing portion of the cable acting as a check on the inserting movement of the needle, and said means and movable pulley being effective to cause the withdrawing portion of the cable to exert a constant checking force on the needle as the withdrawing portion of the cable increases in length, and constantly acting means operatively connected with the firstnained means, tending to move the pulley to tighten the withdrawing portion of the cable.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto attixed my signature.

WILLIAM W. ROBERTSON. 

